> My pediatrician told me at one point that it was "normal" for a baby to
> have X amount of illnesses in the first year of life (I can't recall for
> certain what she said, but I think it was 6 in the first year).
>
> In places where formula feeding (F/F) is still considered the norm, is
> infant illness (such as chronic diarrhea or constipation, or serious
> problems resulting from viral or bacterial infection) also considered the
> norm?
>
Yes, just as babies cry, on average, four to five hours a day, or
something like that.
In the same way, engorgement is normal.
Odd -- I have only got one call from a mother who was engorged, and it
was clearly because the baby hadn't learned how to latch properly. I
should also mention that "sore nipples", the number one reason mothers
used to call for breastfeeding help, seem to be less of a problem.
Thrush and mastitis are more likely to be the cause of soreness now than
a baby nipple-feeding, and when mothers call with questions about solid
food it is much more likely this year, as opposed to even two years ago,
for the baby to be over six months old (in fact, at about a year many
mothers get edgy). I am concluding that what is perceived as normal is
changing, and more rapidly than we might think. I have only been a
breastfeeding counsellor for eight years; that's hardly a generation.
Jo-Anne

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